Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Woman in stunning, viral Baton Rouge protest photo is nurse and mom

A woman among more than a hundred people arrested while protesting police brutality in Baton Rouge, La., was the epicenter of calm juxtaposed with two riot gear-clad cops in a stunning photograph taken Saturday.

The protester was later identified by friends and arrest records as Ieshia L. Evans, 35, a nurse and mother to a young boy.

“It happened quickly, but I could tell that she wasn’t going to move, and it seemed like she was making her stand,” Bachman told the magazine.

Bachman believed that he heard Evans tell those around her that she intended to step up to the line of police and get arrested. He turned toward Evans in time to snap the photo as she met cops in the middle of the highway outside police headquarters, her feet rooted firmly on the pavement.

She addressed her arrest in a Facebook post early Monday, as friends reacted to seeing the protest photo.

“I appreciate the well wishes and love, but this is the work of God,” wrote Evans, later describing herself as a proud licensed practical nurse. “I’m glad I’m alive and safe and that there were no casualties that I have witnessed firsthand.”

Another angle of Evans' arrest shows that she is holding her phone.

(MAX BECHERER/AP)

Evans did not immediately respond to a request for comment and it’s unclear if she will face charges following the arrest.